Natural gas conversion process



March 12, 1935.

Nail/7231986 ffealea/ M. P. YOUKER Re. 19,500

NATURAL GAS CONVERSION PROCESS Original Filed May 1, 1925 Fe cycle jas-l rerfea INVENTOR I Reissued Mar. 12, 1935 I I v .Re,

UNITED STATES PATENT orrics Malcolm P. Youker, Bartlesville, Okla.

Original No. 1,800,586, dated April 14, 1931, Serial No. 27,234, May 1, 1925. Application for reissue April 6, 1933, Serial No. 665,216

6 Claims. (Cl. 196-10) This invention relates to the conversion of been heated in the heating coil 2, such. gas will highly volatile hydrocarbon constituents of natremain in such heated condition in the vessel ural gas into comparatively less volatile hydrofor an appreciable period of time, preferably carbon liquids. An object of my invention is to in excess of two minutes, before flowing into 5 change the molecular arrangement of carbon the condenser worm 7. A part of the gas which 5 and hydrogen in some of the constituents of will pass from the vessel 5, through the pipe 6 natural gas to produce gasoline. By my new and condenser worm 7,will be condensed in the process, this and other desirable advantages condenser worm '7, and the resulting liquid and are obtained. My invention will be more fully gas will flow thence through the pipe 8, into understood from the following description taken the vessel9. Gas which will collect in the vessel 10 in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, 9 will be continuously withdrawn through the in which: pipe 1'7, and the valve 18, while liquid which The figure illustrates diagrammatically in will gather in the vessel 9 will be continuously side elevation, one form of apparatus by which delivered thence through the pipe 10 and the my new process may be carried out. valve 11, into the top of the fractionating col- Referring to the drawing, the numeral 1 desumn 12. A part of the liquid which will flow ignates a pump which operates to pump either into the top of the fractionating column will liquid or gas or a mixture of both through a flow down over bubble plates 13 and will colheating coil 2, which is mounted in a furnace 3. lect in the bottom of fractionating column 12.

A pipe 4, leads from the outlet of heating coil Steam will be passed through the heating coil 20 2, into the top of a vertical cylindrical closed 14, which will heat and vaporize a part of the vessel 5. A pipe 6, leads from the bottom of the liquid which Will gather in the bottom 0f the vessel 5, into a condensing worm 7. A pipe 8 fractionating column 12 and vapors thus proleads from the outlet of condenser worm 7 into duced will rise through the fractionating column a closed cylindrical vessel 9. A pipe 10 in which and will pass thence through the pipe 20, into 25 is mounted a valve 11, leads from the bottom of the pipe 19 where such v p w limin le wi h vessel 9, into the top of a fractionating column the natural gas which will flow through the pipe 12. Perforated bubbling plates 13, are disposed 19 to the pump 1, to be processed. Gasoline will in fractionating column 12. A heating coil 14, be withdrawn from the bottom of the rectifying which is in communication with a supply of column throug the P p a the Valve 30 steam is disposed in the bottom of fractionating The volatility of the gasoline thus obtained will column 12. A pipe 15 in which is mounted a beregulat y regulating the quantity of heat valve 16, leads from the bottom of fractionating supplied to the liquid in the bottom of the fraccolumn 12, to storage tanks which are not tionating column by means of the heating coil shown. A vent pipe 1'7, in which is mounted a '14. Raising the temperature of the liquid which 35 valve 18, leads from the top of vessel 9. A pipe Will gather in e bottom o t fractionating 19 which is in communication with a supply of mn wi l e r e v a i y f h e natural gas leads to the intake of pump 1 A line obtained and vice versa. The whole system, pipe'20 leads from the top of fractionating 001- including the S pp y natural gas which is o 40 umn 12 into pipe '19. be processed, may be held under substantially 40 The apparatus shown in the drawing will b the same pressure save for frictional losses; operated to carry out my new process as folhowever, I will preferably maintain that part of lows: the system which is intercommunicating be- Natural gas, in either liquefied or gaseous ee e P p a d e valve 11, under a state, will be continuously delivered through pipe DIeSSuTe excess of 500 Pounds D Square inch. 45 19 to the pump 1, and will be forced by pump 1, and in excess of the pressure maintained in the through the heating coil 2, the pipe 4, the vesremainder of the y msel 5, the pipe 6, the condensing worm 7, and The molecular structure of the high y volatile the pipe 8 into the vessel 9. This gas in passnatural gas which will be heated in heating coil ing through the heating coil 2 will be heated to 2, and which will remain in such heated condi- 5 a temperature above 500 F. and preferably tion and under high pressure for an appreciable above 750 degrees Fahrenheit. The rate at period of time in the vessel 5, will be changed in which gas will be pumped through the heating such a way that comparatively less volatile hycoil and the closed vessel 5 into the condenser drocarbons will be formed from the hydrogen worm '1 will be such that after this gas has and carbon present in the natural gas while at 55 the same time hyrogen will be liberated from the natural gas and hydrocarbon gases, which are more volatile than was the original natural gas, will also be formed. After this molecular rearrangementof the elemental constituents of the natural gas has taken place in the vessel 5, the

resulting liquid and gases will be passed through the remainder of the process, as has been described, for the purpose of recovering the desirable products which will have been thus produced.

While I have described in considerable detail one method of carrying out my new process, it is to be understood that I do not intend that I shall be limited by these details, but intend to claim all novelty which is inherent in my inveninch, continuously feeding said compressed gas through a heating zon maintained at a temperature above 750 F., maintaining the gas in said heatedand compressed state for a time sufficient to convert a portion, of the gas into liquid hydrocarbons, separating the resulting mixture into fixed gasbgasoline and a hydrocarbon fluid heavier than said fixed gas and lighter than said gasoline, releasing the fixed gas substantially constantly from the process, returning the hydrocarbon fluid for admixture with the fresh hydrocarbon gas, and withdrawing gasoline from the process.

2. The process for converting hydrocarbon gas into comparatively non-volatile hydrocarbon liquid, which comprises compressing such a gas to a pressure in excess of 500 'poundsper square inch, continuously feeding said compressed gas through a heating zone maintained at a temperature above 750 F., maintaining the gas in said heated and compressed state for a time suflicient to convert a portion of the gas into liquid hydrocarbons, separating the resulting mixture into fixed gas, gasoline and hydrocarbon fluid heavier than said fixed gas and lighter-than said gasooline, releasing the fixed gas substantially constantly from the process, withdrawing gasoline from the process, and returning the hydrocarbon fluid for reprocessing in the same cycle.

3. The process for convertinghydrocarbon gas into comparatively non-volatile hydrocarboi li quid, which comprises compressing such a gas to a pressure in excess of 500 pounds per square inch, continuously feeding said. compressed gas through a heating zone maintained at a temperature above 750 F., maintaining the gas in said heated and compressed state for a time sufllcient carbons, separating the resulting mixture into fixed gas, gasoline and hyrocarbon vapors heavier than said fixed gas and lighter than said gasoline, releasing the fixed ,gas substantially constantly from the processfreturning the hydrocarbon vapors for admixture with the fresh hydrocarbon gas, and withdrawing gasoline from the process.

4. The process for converting hydrocarbon g into comparatively non-volatile hydrocar liquid, which comprises compressing such a gas to a pressure in excess of 500 pounds per squareinch, continuously feeding said compressed gas through a heating zone maintained at a temperature above 150 F., maintainingthe gas in said heated and compressed state for a time sufllcient to convert a portion of the gas into liquid hydrocarbons, separating the resulting mixture into,

fixed gas, gasoline and hydrocarbon vapors heavier than said fixed gas and lighter than said gasoline, releasing the fixed gas substantially constantly from the process, withdrawing gasoline from the process, and returning the hydrocarbon vapors for reprocessing in the same cycle.

5. The process of converting hyrocarbon materials which are normally gaseous at atmospheric pressure and temperature into normally liquid hydrocarbon materials comprising treating said gaseous materials, while under pressure preferably in excess of 500 pounds per square inch and at a temperature preferably in excess of 750. F. and maintaining said material in such heated and compressed statefor a time, sufllcient to convert said gaseous material intoa mixture of liquid, fixed gas and a material intermediate of liquid and fixed gas, withdrawing" liquid, removing fixed gas and further processing intermediate material in a similar treatment.

6. The process for converting hydrocarbon gas into comparatively non-volatile hydrocarbon liquid, which comprises compressing such a gas to a pressure preferably in excess of 500 pounds per square inch, continuously feeding said compressed gas through a heating zone' maintained at a temperature preferably in excess of 750 to converta portion of the gas into liquid hydro- F., maintaining the gas in heated andcompressed state for a time sufllcient to convert a portion of the gas into liquid hydrocarbons, separating the resulting mixture into gas, gasoline and hydrocarbon vapors heavier than said gas and lighter than said gasoline, releasing gas substantially constantly from the process. withdrawing gasoline from the process, and further processing the hydrocarbon vapors in a' similar treatment, for the purpose specified. MALCQLM P. YOUKER. 

